You walk up through pine woods to another village, Fiery 1900m, which is really pretty and then, up a valley of dolomitic limestone to the Colle del Cime Bianci at 2982m. It is a long way, dominated by the Dolomite Cime and then by the Gobba di Rollin outlier of the Breithorn.

One passes the Gran Lago at 2808m. This is really only a tarn which reflects the Gobba. The top of the pass is a surprise, a large, flat area covered in stones. Across, one can see the Matterhorn and Dent d'Herens. It seems even longer to walk down to Breuil at 2000m, along what we later learned was the Ventina ski run. (In 1977, we walked on skis from the Ventina to the Col to look back down toward St Jacques). Breuil or Cervinia (as it is known in the ski brochures), is completely different from Zermatt.

A German lady may have described it as schrecklich but daft is a better word. The architects of the holiday flats have certainly used their imagination here or just had an ego trip.